Summer used to be home to a large majority of big budget blockbusters — rife with action and special effects. That has become less and less true of late. We’re seeing more tent pole films showing up in the spring and on occasion during the fall and around the Christmas holidays.

Still, with the summer behind us along with complaints that this year failed to meet expectations what do we have to look forward to? What are the year’s remaining big budget blockbusters and are any of them worth seeing?

Stephen King’s It has already shown us that the fall still has some surprising delights in store for us. Based on the novel of the same name the movie is receiving critical acclaim, broken records and terrified audiences. If you’re looking for a good scare, it seems to be a good place to start. (Here’s hoping the second part can hold up). Sure, It has been done before and Tim Curry’s Pennywise is legendary but the new film certainly seems to have proven to bring top quality horror.

The Lego Ninjago Movie (Sept 22nd) might serve as a bit of a palette cleanser then after It’s suspenseful horror. The Lego movies have proven to be a lot of fun for young and old and while the franchise might not interest adults, the trailers show some witty writing that may be worth seeing. If nothing else, it’s a film that will likely keep kids entertained without driving their parents to drink.

If you’re not up for the new Lego film but still want to see some good action, there’s also Kingsmen: The Golden Circle starting that same weekend. A sequel to the well-received Kingsman: The Secret Service which was based on the comic book of the same name, it promises to bring comedy and action. It’s Bond with a licence to poke fun.

Blade Runner 2049 (Oct 6) kicks off October with a title that both excites and terrifies. A sequel to Ridley Scott’s classic, the sequel stars both Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford. If you liked the original Blade Runner you may feel that the sequel has a lot to live up to. If you didn’t like the original Blade Runner you may be looking at the film with a lot of skepticism. Regardless, with Ridley Scott returning to the helm there is at least a little comfort but this is also the man who brought us Prometheus.

Many of us are waiting impatiently for Thor Ragnorock (Nov 3) after the trailers started to hit. The film seems to have embraced teh galactic Marvel universe in full and embracing the wilder side of comics. It’s nice to see Marvel movies become more and more comfortable with the otherworldly stories the comics have touched on. Up until this point Thor has been one of the less remarkable series of Marvel films (at least, out of those owned by Disney) but third time looks to be the charm! Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Tom Hiddleston’s Loki have both proven themselves to be worth the price of admission so if nothing else, these characters will make it worth the watch.

DC is also looking to make a splash in November with their Justice League movie (Nov 17). The DC movie universe has been met with skepticism and mixed reaction. Batman vs Superman had received it’s share of thumbs down yet Wonder Woman received high praise. It will be interesting to see how Justice League fares. DC’s movie universe could be heavily shaped by this film’s success or failure.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Dec 15) will prove to be the big film of December heading into the holiday season. Another film with much to live up to, The Last Jedi could just as easily disappoint as it could excite and regardless of how well the film does there’s bound to be lengthy conversations in comic shops everywhere about every minute detail of the film. It should bring fun and excitement to the theatre regardless.

Of course these aren’t all of the fall’s big films but just some of the more notable ones. There’s still plenty to see so pick up some tickets and get your friends together for a night out!

Gregory Grondin is a full time Systems Analyst working for Mariner Innovations. He also works as a weight loss consultant for Weight Watchers and is part owner of Heroes' Beacon. You can follow his web comic series at http://www.spacepawdyssey.com

Greg is a fan of gaming and comics in general and an avid collector of Transformers figures.